Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation

An image from the photographer Aaron Siskind’s series “Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation” is featured in the Goings on About Town section of the magazine this week. In “Pleasures and Terrors,” figures are suspended against a blank background, devoid of context; it’s unclear whether they are falling or floating. These pictures are some of my favorite works of photography. I asked Charles Traub, a photographer and the president of the Aaron Siskind Foundation, to tell me about Siskind, who died in 1991, and about the series. “I remember quite clearly Aaron’s delight at the Chicago waterfront, where these images were taken. He was particularly enamored of teen-agers—their unabashed frolicking and daring, their inherent athleticism. Aaron loved ordinary people—the sights, sounds, and activities that were off the beaten path of the city. In the summer, the Chicago lakefront was a place where everybody gathered. He adored such places that were full of spontaneous and inventive activity. Long before I went to graduate school and met Aaron, I had been impressed by these pictures. I have no doubt that they influenced my own Chicago beach work, which came in the mid-nineteen-seventies. Aaron took particular delight in them for the same reasons that he loved ‘Pleasures and Terrors’: the portrayal of freedom and relief from the formalities and rigor of the city.”

Above is a selection from the series. Click on the red arrows for a full-screen view.

All images courtesy the Aaron Siskind Foundation and George Eastman House.

Jessie Wender, formerly a photo editor at The New Yorker, is a senior photo editor at National Geographic.